


the last summer

by intothewoodz



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, i'm sorry i do not know what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26683090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intothewoodz/pseuds/intothewoodz
Summary: Seungyoun doesn't want the summer to end, but not for the same reasons as most people. While others are sad about their summer vacation ending or the disappearance of warm, sunny weather, for Seungyoun, the end of summer means a lot of changes for his and Seungwoo's relationship and he doesn't think he's ready for them.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Han Seungwoo
Comments: 15
Kudos: 31
Collections: SUMMER BLISS: A X1 Ficfest: Round 1





	the last summer

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #24: Person A and Person B spend their last summer together.
> 
> i am so sorry, i had an original idea for this prompt and ended up not liking it and it has somehow deviated into something very very different and i really hope you still like it but I'M SORRY
> 
> i had a vision for this but my brain really did not wanna work with me and i just hope this isn't terrible

It’s the first day of summer when Seungwoo first tells him. He asks him to meet at their favorite ice cream shop, the same one that they’ve been frequenting since college.

Seungyoun arrives first and chooses a seat by the window, content with just people watching until Seungwoo arrives. He thinks about the first time they discovered the small shop, only finding it by accident when seeking shelter from the rain that had interrupted one of their dates. It had been freezing cold that night, but they felt the need to buy ice cream in exchange for protection from the storm, though the extremely kind owner insisted they didn’t have to. The two of them ended up coming back many more times after that.

“Seungyoun-ah,” Seungwoo calls, out of breath and still in his work attire.

“Hyung, did you run here straight from work?”

“I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

“You could’ve just texted or something. I wouldn’t have minded.”

“I wanted to see you sooner.”

Seungyoun laughs at that, “Since when did you get this cheesy?”

“I’ve been swamped with work and I miss my boyfriend,” he pouts.

“Well, you don’t have to miss me anymore because I’m right here,” Seungyoun replies. He would’ve given him a quick peck as well, but they’re in public so he settles for reaching for his hand instead.

Once they’ve both gotten their ice cream, they settle back down at their seats. Something about Seungwoo seems a bit off today, but Seungyoun can’t quite place it. On any other day, he might attribute it to fatigue from a long day of work, but Seungyoun has a sinking feeling that that’s not the case right now. It’s likely to do with what Seungwoo had wanted to tell him. It must not be something good.

Seungyoun braces himself.

“So what did you want to tell me, hyung?”

The small smile that Seungwoo’s been forcing drops at the question. “Ah, right. Almost forgot.”

“It’s the whole reason you called me here today.”

“That’s not true! It’s only half the reason. The other half was because I really did miss you.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. You miss me a lot, but stop stalling.”

“Fine, so you know how I’ve been working overtime a lot lately?”

“Of course I know. You’re always exhausted and never eat properly,” Seungyoun sighs. His boyfriend has always been a bit of a perfectionist, resulting in a tendency to overwork himself until he achieves a product he’s satisfied with and lately, it’s gotten worse than usual.

“I told you, I’m fine. But the good news is that my hard work paid off. I’m getting promoted,” Seungwoo says, though his voice lacks the enthusiasm of a person getting a raise. In fact, judging by his tone alone, anyone would’ve thought he was getting fired.

“Hyung, that’s amazing! Why do you sound so sad about it?”

“The thing is, the position I’m getting promoted to is at another branch. In Busan.”

“Oh.” Seungyoun tries his best not to sound upset. He should be happy for his boyfriend, knowing exactly how much he’s wanted this opportunity and how hard he’s worked for it. He should be happy for him.

But he’s not. In his head, Seungyoun is already forming countless pleas for Seungwoo not to take the job, for him to stay by his side instead. It takes all the self-control he can muster to silence them, forcing those thoughts to die before he risks voicing them.

Because Seungwoo doesn’t deserve that. He’s clearly already conflicted about it when he should feel nothing but happiness and pride for his accomplishments.

Of course Seungyoun wants Seungwoo to stay. He loves him. But it’s precisely because he loves him so much that he knows he can’t hold him back like that.

“I haven’t officially accepted the offer yet. I told them I needed a few days to think,” Seungwoo says.

“What is there to think about? Of course you should take it!”

Seungwoo’s eyes widen in shock, surprised by his apparent enthusiasm. “But moving to another city is a big deal. I’d be away from my family, my friends. From you.”

Seungyoun tries not to break upon hearing that. A part of him wants to agree, convince Seungwoo that completely uprooting his life in Seoul is too much for his company to ask and instead make him stay at his current position. But he knows that’s not right. Seungwoo deserves compensation for all the hard work he does and if moving to Busan is what it takes to get it, then Seungyoun doesn’t want to be the thing stopping him.

“Seungwoo-hyung, your age is showing,” he teases, trying to lighten the mood. “We have cell phones and the internet. You won’t have to go a single day without seeing my face. Besides, it’s not even that far!”

“I know, but…” he trails off. _It’s not the same._

There’d be no more impromptu dates, no more late night walks just because one of them can’t sleep, no more coming home after a long day and curling themselves up in the other's arms to feel better. It’d be letting go of a lot.

Seungyoun knows it too. He’s painfully aware of it, but he thinks he can handle it if it’s for Seungwoo’s sake. Or at least he hopes if he keeps saying that things will work out, eventually he’ll start to delude himself into believing it for real.

“You worry too much. It’s what you’ve worked so hard for all this time. You can’t just pass it up so easily.” Seungwoo looks like he’s about to argue but Seungyoun doesn’t let him, cutting him off with a question. “So when would you leave?”

“Sometime in September. After the summer.”

Summer is only just starting, which means they have time. Even if it’s the last summer they can fully spend together for a while, or especially for that reason, Seungyoun wants to make it count.

Seungyoun makes it his mission to treasure every moment of this summer together, right up until the very last second.

* * *

After Seungwoo tells him, Seungyoun does a lot of thinking. He thinks about what life in Seoul will look like without Seungwoo by his side. Of course, they haven’t always been together, but three years is a long time. It’s more than enough time for Seungwoo to cement his place into Seungyoun’s life and Busan feels like a jackhammer that will inevitably break it all into pieces.

The broken pieces may still fit together, but once they’re not in tact, they lose their main function. Seungyoun wonders what will happen to their relationship when apart from one another, if it’ll cease functioning the same way.

Long distance is hard. It’s not something that he wants to deal with if he can help it.

Seungyoun spends the next week thinking about moving to Busan.

He works as a music producer, which means that where he works is generally pretty flexible. Sure, he’d still have to come back to Seoul for important meetings and preparations and he’d have to find a new studio to rent, but those seem like manageable tasks. In comparison, they somehow seem much more manageable than adjusting to life without Seungwoo by his side.

Seungyoun’s made up his mind that if Seungwoo asks him to go with him, he’ll say yes.

* * *

“Iced Americano for one Cho Seungyoun-ssi,” Seungwoo jokes as he comes back after going to retrieve their drinks.

“Wow, this place has wonderful service. Who exactly should I leave a tip for?”

“That would be Han Seungwoo,” he answers, playing along. “All tips are appreciated, of course, but preferably in the form of kisses.”

“Oh? Is that café policy?”

“Nope, it’s a policy reserved specifically for very special customers.”

“What exactly makes me qualify as a special customer?”

“Easy. You’re my boyfriend.”

“That does make me quite special, doesn’t it?”

“Of course.”

One glance at each other and the act is over, both of them bursting out into loud laughter. It even catches the attention of some others sitting at nearby tables and they quickly bow their heads in apology.

“It’s been a while since we’ve come here, huh?” Seungwoo asks.

“Yeah, I guess it has.” Seungyoun takes a sip of his drink as he thinks back to when they had last come here.

It had been their go to spot when they were still back in college, close to campus and affordable. Since moving into their new apartment, they’ve discovered a number of places closer to them, but they still find time to come every once in a while just for the nostalgia.

“What made you want to come here today,” Seungyoun asks.

“Hmm, I missed it,” Seungwoo says. The “I _will_ miss it” goes unsaid.

Since telling him the first time, Seungwoo hasn’t once referenced the fact that he’s about to move to another city, even though Seungyoun knows it’s weighing on both of their minds. It’s a subtle difference, but he knows his boyfriend well enough to see the signs.

He often finds Seungwoo with an odd look in his eye, hints of sadness hiding behind a smile. Seungyoun had attributed his wanting to visit their old favorite spot simply for the nostalgia of it, but something feels off.

It feels like he’s saying goodbye.

It makes Seungyoun nervous because he’s not ready for a goodbye. At most, he might be able to handle a short break away from him, but in reality, he’s been devising ways to avoid even that.

There’s something about the way Seungwoo’s acting that makes it seem like he has a strong sense of resolve, but what for Seungyoun has no idea. Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem like he’s particularly enthusiastic about doing it.

Seungwoo doesn’t seem to want to talk about his imminent relocation, so Seungyoun doesn’t bring it up. He figures he’ll just wait until it’s eventually brought up to raise the idea of potentially going with him.

Except it doesn’t get brought up.

Weeks pass and Seungwoo skillfully avoids the subject, talking about everything and anything but the fact that he’s scheduled to move away in a month.

Eventually, Seungyoun gives up. If Seungwoo had wanted him to come with him, he would’ve asked and Seungyoun doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable by pushing it on him. He can accept that.

Or at least he tries to.

* * *

“Where are we going today?” Seungyoun asks as Seungwoo once again drags him out without telling him what they’re doing.

“The weather’s nice today. I thought we could go for a walk.”

“You dragged me out of bed for a walk?”

“Seungyoun, it’s already the afternoon.”

“And? It’s the weekend! That’s when people sleep in!”

“You don’t even work normal hours. You sleep in every day.”

“Exactly, so afternoon is basically my morning.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Seungwoo relents. “I just wanted to be able to go out while the sun is still out.”

“I wouldn’t sleep in until _that_ late,” Seungyoun huffs.

“Sure, you wouldn’t.”

Seungwoo just laughs as Seungyoun pouts at him, but takes hold of his hand and drags him along anyway. As hard as Seungyoun tries to keep up his grumpy exterior, it only takes a single smile from his boyfriend to make it all melt away in seconds.

True to Seungwoo’s word, they do just go on a walk. It’s a familiar path, the one that leads from their apartment to a nearby park. Seungyoun doesn’t know the name of the flowers that are currently in bloom on all of the trees, but he thinks they’re pretty nonetheless.

His admiration of the flowers is interrupted only by the soft click of a camera shutter, whipping his head around to look at his boyfriend in question only to be met with yet another click.

“Why are you taking pictures of me?”

“Because you’re cute.”

“I wasn’t even looking at the camera! Is the back of my head really that pretty?”

“Yes,” Seungwoo says without hesitation, bringing his camera up to take yet another photo as Seungyoun pouts at him yet again.

“You’re weird.”

“Hey! Is that any way to talk to your loving boyfriend?” Seungwoo whines back at him. “Is it so wrong for me to want to have nice memories to look back on?”

Seungyoun suddenly stumbles over a slight crack in the ground and nearly trips before he feels Seungwoo’s strong arms grip him, bringing him back upright.

“Be careful!”

“Sorry, I didn’t notice the crack there.”

“As long as you’re not hurt,” Seungwoo says, brushing a stray hair from his forehead.

“I’m fine, hyung,” Seungyoun says because, physically at least, he’s perfectly fine. He doesn’t, of course, voice the thoughts that were distracting him causing him to fall in the first place, opting to ignore them. Instead, he teases Seungwoo, “But do you really need pictures to remember things? If your memory is getting that bad, maybe the old age really is getting to you.”

“You brat,” he scoffs, playfully hitting his shoulder.

“But you love me for it, right?”

There’s a slight pause before Seungwoo speaks again and Seungyoun focuses so much on the silence that he almost misses the reply.

“Yeah, I really do. I love you a lot.”

It’s far from the first time Seungwoo has said those words and it shouldn’t affect Seungyoun as much as it does, but he can’t help but feel that they hold a hidden emotion he can’t place. Seungwoo sounds pensive and Seungyoun can’t seem to figure out why.

Unless it’s because he’s already thinking of the end.

Seungyoun feels his heart drop, dwelling on the way Seungwoo had paused and his sudden desire for photos for memories. Souvenirs are ways to remember places that one inevitably leaves. Seungyoun wonders if it means Seungwoo has already made his decision about him. About them.

“Youn, you okay?” the older asks, sensing Seungyoun’s hesitation.

“Yeah, sorry.” Seungyoun looks up at the trees once again. “I was just wondering what type of flowers these were. They’re pretty.”

“If you’re that curious, we can look it up when we get home.”

Seungyoun nods, not trusting his voice not to give out.

_Home_.

The word immediately brings to mind the apartment that they share, but it’s more than just the space itself. What really makes it home is the way they slowly decorated and built it up from scratch, the memories they made within it. Seungwoo is what makes it home.

But when summer goes, Seungwoo will be gone right along with it and Seungyoun doesn’t know what will be left.

Will the photos they just took fall to the ground, swept away like dead leaves in the autumn?

If Seungwoo notices his strangeness for the rest of the walk, he doesn’t mention it. Seungyoun hopes he can play it off as being tired.

Still, Seungwoo just grabs his hand once more, giving him a reassuring squeeze as he silently walks alongside him. He’s not acting like someone who’s about to leave him which makes Seungyoun even more confused and just a tad resentful.

He wishes Seungwoo weren’t so kind, that he would make it easier for Seungyoun to let him go. Even if Seungwoo already seems to be packing away their memories into neat little boxes before storing them away, Seungyoun can’t bring himself to do the same. He doesn’t want to have to remember Seungwoo by pictures. He wants to wake up next to him and fall asleep next to him so that he’s the first and last thing he sees each day.

“Babe, you sure you’re okay? You’re really out of it today.” Seungwoo leans down, trying to get a glimpse of his face which is pointed down towards the ground.

“I’m fine! I guess I’m still half asleep.”

“Seungyoun, it’s literally mid-afternoon. We’re closer to sunset than sunrise.”

“You know my sleep schedule is messed up!”

“Okay, okay. I get it. It’s all my fault for making you get out of bed,” Seungwoo laughs, accepting the excuse for at least the time being, much to Seungyoun’s relief.

“Yeah, it is your fault,” Seungyoun replies, though there’s really no bite behind it.

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“And how are you gonna do that?”

“You’ll see. Soon.”

Somehow, the word “soon” doesn’t feel as reassuring as is probably intended.

* * *

“You still haven’t told me where we’re going,” Seungyoun says as he stares out the car window, trying to decipher their destination from the road signs they pass.

“And I told you that you’ll find out when we get there,” Seungwoo replies with a chuckle.

“I wanna know now,” Seungyoun pouts.

“You big baby.” Seungwoo takes one hand off the wheel to ruffle Seungyoun’s hair affectionately, earning a displeased whine from the younger. “Be patient, we’re almost there.”

“Fine,” he huffs, spending the rest of the car ride sulking.

Silence isn’t necessarily uncomfortable between the two of them, but it’s felt strange recently. As the days go by and the date of Seungwoo’s departure gets closer and closer without either of them bringing up the topic, what’s left unspoken weighs down on them. Seungyoun uses mindless conversation as white noise to block out the tenseness in the air, so without it, it hits him hard.

Luckily, Seungwoo wasn’t kidding when he said they were almost there because shortly after, he’s parking the car.

Lost in his thoughts, Seungyoun had stopped paying attention to their surroundings, not realizing where they were, but a quick glance outside reveals the secret destination that Seungwoo had been planning all along.

An amusement park.

“Surprise,” Seungwoo says after turning off the engine, looking over to Seungyoun to check his reaction.

“We haven’t been somewhere like this in ages.”

“Not since college,” Seungwoo confirms. “I thought we could come and relive the old days a little. See what it’s like to be young again.”

“Hyung, you’re making us sound like dinosaurs,” Seungyoun laughs, playfully hitting his arm. “Don’t lump me in with you. I, for one, am still very much in my youth.”

“Brat. You’re only two years younger than me.”

“Exactly. So stop insinuating that we’re old.”

“Okay, okay. I already got our tickets, so let’s go inside.”

The park is crowded, bustling with people all trying to make the most of their summers. The bright smiles on every single person’s face as they pass by makes Seungyoun momentarily forget about all his earlier concerns. Maybe for today, he can focus solely on the present.

“Let’s play that one!” Seungyoun says, dragging Seungwoo over to the booth for one of the shooting games.

“Slow down,” Seungwoo chuckles as the younger runs over to it. “I promise it’s not going anywhere.”

“But the prizes might!”

After the person who mans the booth explains the rules to them, basically just that they have five tries to hit as many targets as they can, Seungyoun is eager to start playing. It seems that his enthusiasm isn’t for nothing either because he does successfully shoot down each target, one after another.

“That’s pretty impressive, baby,” Seungwoo comments as he watches from the sidelines.

“Don’t look so surprised! Did you doubt my abilities?” Seungyoun pouts.

“No, no. Of course not.”

“So do you want your prize?” the worker interrupts, probably waiting for them to leave so he can be left alone. He gestures at the top row of large plushies, “You can choose any of the big ones.”

“Instead of one big one, could I choose two smaller ones?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he says, not seeming to care very much.

“I’ll take these two!” Seungyoun shouts happily at the poor worker who definitely does not share his enthusiasm. Still, he hands over the two plushies that Seungyoun gestures to with a line of thanks for playing the game and an invitation to come again soon that he’s probably required to say.

As they leave the booth, Seungyoun places one of the fluffy stuffed toys into Seungwoo’s arms as he hugs the other tightly in his own. “That one’s me,” he says, referring to the soft Vulpix doll that is now safely in Seungwoo’s hold.

“It’s cute,” Seungwoo laughs. “And so I guess that one’s me?”

Seungyoun holds up his own plushie, an Alolan Vulpix, with an excited shout, “Yeah!”

“You’re so cute, babe,” Seungwoo says, wrapping his free arm around Seungyoun’s waist.

“Not cute,” he grumbles, but leans into his boyfriend’s frame anyway.

Seungyoun’s going to miss this, he thinks as he squeezes the plushie in his arms a little tighter. Even as he slowly comes to accept that this might be their last summer together, he still wants to make it count.

At the very least, Seungyoun thinks a cute plushie will be a cute thing to remember him by.

* * *

It’s the last day of summer. Technically, at least. It’s already halfway into September, the weather starting to get colder and the leaves on the trees just barely starting to change color, but the official end of summer is marked only by the autumn equinox.

“Hyung, why do you never tell me where we’re going?” Seungyoun whines, tugging at Seungwoo’s free arm that isn’t on the steering wheel, frustrated that he still has no idea of their mystery destination.

“Because it’s a secret.”

“You always say that.”

“I just want to surprise you! Is that really so wrong of me?”

_Yes_ , Seungyoun thinks. The surprises so far may have been pleasant, but he knows today will be different. The only surprise that’s left is far from a good one.

Seungwoo leaves tomorrow.

Even as Seungyoun helped him pack up all of his things into boxes, ready to be shipped away to another city so he can start a new life there, not once did Seungwoo mention how Seungyoun would fit into the picture. Which can only mean that he doesn’t.

Seungwoo seems different today and despite his warm smiles, Seungyoun can tell that he’s deep in thought. There’s something troubling him, something that he’s too afraid to say.

But Seungyoun is scared too. He can sense how the unspoken words weigh down on Seungwoo, but selfish as it may be, Seungyoun would prefer it stay that way because he has a sinking feeling that hearing them aloud would do a lot more than just weigh down on him. They would crush him.

It’s been a whole summer and Seungyoun still isn’t anywhere near ready to listen to those words.

“We’re here,” Seungwoo says, snapping Seungyoun out of his daze.

He looks around and finally takes in their surroundings. As he steps out of the car, he’s hit with a cool ocean breeze, the air getting colder as the sun slowly starts its descent across the sky.

“Isn’t it a bit cold for the beach?” Seungyoun asks.

“We’re not actually going swimming. I thought it’d be a nice place for a walk.”

“We came a long way for just a walk then.”

“Maybe there’s more in store than _just_ a walk,” Seungwoo says with a strange gleam in his eye, not giving away anything at all.

“You’re not making any sense,” Seungyoun says. Except that maybe it does make sense. The pieces he’s gathered throughout the summer come together to form a picture, but it’s just not one that he wants to see.

“You’ll see,” the older replies.

Seungyoun thinks that he would rather not.

“Come on, let’s go this way,” Seungwoo says.

The beach is basically empty, a result of summer vacation being over and the weather starting to make it too cold for swimming, but there’s a few others walking along the beach regardless. Seungwoo leads Seungyoun towards the edge of the beach where a few large rocks form a small section secluded from the rest of the area that they had discovered long ago while wandering around once. Finding a seat on the rocky ledge, Seungwoo gestures for Seungyoun to follow suit.

“Cold?” Seungwoo asks as the ocean breeze blows through the area.

“Just a little.”

Seungwoo immediately takes Seungyoun’s hand into his own, scooting closer to him so that their bodies are touching. “Sorry, bear with it just a little longer.”

“It’s fine, I’m not that fragile, hyung,” Seungyoun chuckles. “I promise a little wind won't break me.”

“Good, because I have something I need to tell you today.”

Seungyoun shivers a bit, though not from the cold. The wind may not be able to break him, but he knows that whatever Seungwoo wants to say has the potential to.

“What’s with all the dramatic build up?” Seungyoun tries to joke, but the words come out a little more nervous than he’d like. “Just say it now.”

“Patience, babe,” Seungwoo says, placing a light kiss on the top of his head. “The suns almost setting.”

They sit in silence for a while, admiring the sky as it’s slowly tinted with colorful hues as the sun begins its descent over the ocean. If it had been any other day, Seungyoun would’ve rested his head on Seungwoo’s shoulder and enjoyed the peaceful quiet, but he can’t stop his thoughts from being loud.

He’s grateful when Seungwoo breaks the silence, but also wary at the thought of what he’s been afraid of all this time coming true.

“Seungyoun, I know that I’ve avoided talking about it all summer, but I’m leaving tomorrow,” Seungwoo starts, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot though. Thinking about you, about us.”

Seungwoo pauses, seeming to struggle to find whatever words he’s looking for and Seungyoun squeezes his hand in reassurance. “It’s okay,” Seungyoun tells him. He doesn’t know why he says it or if he even believes it himself, but comforting Seungwoo through his habit of overthinking is practically second nature to him at this point and the words are out of his mouth before he’s even registered them.

The older shoots him a grateful look and picks up where he left off. “I’ve been thinking about long distance and I know it’s technically not that far, but I’m used to having you at arm’s reach and I can’t help but dwell on how hard it will be. The last thing I want is for this to ruin what we have right now and honestly just the thought of it terrifies me.”

Seungyoun nods in agreement. It terrifies him too to think about their precious memories being tainted by fighting or resentment that threatens to grow to fill the void of the distance. But at the same time, as much as he would love to freeze time and live forever in this moment, he knows tomorrow is coming.

“You’ve probably noticed by now that I keep taking you to all the places we’ve been a thousand times before. I guess since things are changing, part of me just wanted to go back and relive those moments again.”

Changing is a rather light way of saying ending, Seungyoun thinks bitterly.

“You’re being awfully quiet today, Youn,” Seungwoo says. “It’s making me nervous.”

“Well, you dragging things on without telling me what you actually want to say is making me equally as nervous.”

“Fair enough,” Seungwoo laughs, pulling something out from the bag he brought with him. He takes out a small pile of photos, presenting them to Seungyoun. “I finally got the film developed.”

“I didn’t even realize when you took half of these,” he comments, flipping through the stack. “There’s barely any where I’m actually looking at the camera.”

“I think they turned out great,” Seungwoo replies, laughing at Seungyoun’s confused expression. Seungwoo takes the photos from his hands, looking through them himself. “You look so cute pouting in this one and this one shows your habit of running your hands through your hair all the time even though it only makes it worse and you end up rustling it up even more.”

“I didn’t notice I did that.”

“Well, you do. And it’s adorable.”

After years of dating, it’s not like Seungyoun is new to Seungwoo’s affections, but the words make him blush nonetheless. “Why are you like this today?” he whines.

“I have my reasons.”

“Then, tell me. You still haven’t said anything about what all this is about.”

“Sorry, I guess I’m just a little nervous.”

“About what?” Seungyoun asks hesitantly, not confident that he’s ready to hear the answer.

“This,” Seungwoo says, getting down on one knee and pulling a small box out of his pocket. “Seungyoun, I love you so much and I can’t imagine being with anyone but you. After having you by my side for so long, I know the distance will be hard, but I think we’re strong enough to get through it and I thought this might be nice tangible proof of it.”

The sun has almost completely set by now, painting the ocean sky in a lovely mix of orange and blue, but the last rays of sunlight hit the small silver ring sitting in the box and it glimmers beautifully.

“Cho Seungyoun, will you marry me?”

Seungyoun can’t find it in himself to answer. Instead, he stays frozen in shock as tears start to prick at the corners of his eyes. Of all things he was preparing himself for today, this was not one of the outcomes he expected.

“Don’t cry, please,” Seungwoo says, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes. “You’re scaring me.”

“I—y-yes,” he manages to choke out. “Yes, I’ll marry you, but I just—“ His sentence is cut off as another wave of sniffles hit him.

“Baby, what is it?”

“I thought you were going to break up with me.”

“You what?!”

“All summer, you never talked about what would happen to us after you moved and you kept bringing me to all of our old favorite places as if you would never see them again. It felt like goodbye.” He pauses, voice cracking as he speaks even more softly, “You never even asked if I wanted to come with you and I—I thought that meant you were leaving me behind.”

Seungwoo quickly pulls him into a bone crushing hug, holding him as tightly as he can as if to make up for even allowing him to think he would leave him, to show that he never wants to let go. He runs fingers through Seungyoun’s hair and cradles his head against his chest, leaning even closer as he mumbles countless apologies into his ear.

Seungyoun feels Seungwoo pull away, but only so that he can cup his cheeks in his hands and force him to look straight at him. He wants to shy away from the gaze, knowing that his eyes are probably puffy and red from tears and that he must look like a mess, but Seungwoo doesn’t let him.

“Seungyoun-ah, look at me,” he says. “I’m so sorry I made you think that. I was an idiot and I was being selfish and I just avoided talking about what was difficult to make things easier for me without thinking about what it would mean for you.”

Seungyoun watches as Seungwoo’s eyes start to fill with tears as well and he reaches up to wipe one away as it falls down his cheek. “Don’t cry.”

“That’s not fair. You’re crying too,” he counters.

“But we can’t _both_ be crying!”

“This proposal didn’t really go as I planned, huh?” Seungwoo chuckles lightly. “I mean, I did expect you to cry, but not quite like this.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t act like it’s not true. You’re always such a crybaby,” he teases, the air suddenly feeling a lot lighter.

“Maybe I don’t want to marry someone who makes fun of me this much anyway,” Seungyoun huffs, childishly turn his head away.

“So you’d marry someone who was a horrible boyfriend and didn’t even realize he was hurting you for months, but you draw the line at me saying a true statement?”

“You’re not a horrible boyfriend!”

“Yes, I am. I should’ve talked to you.”

“Talking is a two-way street. I could’ve brought it up too instead of jumping to conclusions on my own.”

“But I made you cry.”

“I cry a lot anyway.”

Seungwoo cracks a smile at that. “Now, you’re admitting to it?”

“That’s not fair! You tricked me,” Seungyoun pouts.

“I didn’t do anything!” Seungwoo raises his hands in surrender as Seungyoun playfully punches his chest.

“But Seungwoo-hyung,” Seungyoun says after he’s deemed that Seungwoo’s received a sufficient number of punches, “You never actually put the ring on me.”

“Well, I was a bit preoccupied earlier.”

“Put it on me now.”

“So demanding,” Seungwoo teases, even as he gently lifts Seungyoun’s hand to slide the ring onto his finger.

He takes a moment to admire it, twisting his hand in the air to watch how it glimmers as the last bits of remaining sunlight reflect off of it.

Seungyoun only stops when Seungwoo pulls his face into his hands one more, bringing him closer to capture his lips in a kiss. It’s soft and slow because they know there’s no need to rush.

Even if they’re separated for a while, they know they’ll always come back to each other. They have all the time in the world.

It’s the last day of summer when Seungwoo asks him to marry him. Even if the immediate future is unclear, there’s one thing they know for sure: this may be the last summer they spend together as boyfriends, but it’s just the beginning of the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!!!
> 
> honestly i wanted this fic to be a lot more fleshed out and twice as long as it is but i struggled a lot towards the end :( i hope it was still ok though!! to my prompter, i'm sorry i strayed from the original prompt so much but i hope you still found it somewhat enjoyable!


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